Analysts at TIS Group reported this week on an IMS Healthcare Institute report on global trends in cancer treatment that was pretty fascinating and had major investment takeaways. I want to share it with you now. The following all comes from the TIS assessment of the IMS report:1. Global spending on oncology treatments is booming In 2014, global spending...

Banking stocks have been on a roll lately and leading the new-high list is big cap, Wells Fargo (WFC). Wells is a money center bank that has regional bank roots and was up 1.2% on the day and looks great. It was joined by JP Morgan Chase (JPM), up 0.9%, Goldman Sachs (GS), +0.4%,Capital One Financial (COF), +1% and a slew of other smaller regional banks...

If capitalism were a predator, its favorite prey would have to be lazy monopolists. Just think of the way cell phones have undermined the telephone companies. Or the way Netflix or HBO Now and other internet streaming services threaten satellite TV providers just as they threatened the cable companies.There’s a special satisfaction in sticking it...

While specific areas of the market are rising with a certain lightness that reminds us that while the economy may be struggling in certain areas -- like shale-oil communities, for instance -- there are other areas that are prospering. Homebuilders are one such area.1. Homebuilders as a Group Are Moving Free of a Large Base PatternTrue, they have been...

I saw some fascinating economic research from Bespoke Investment Group on Monday afternoon that I wanted to share with you.The analysts observed that the Industrial Production report for the month of April, published on Friday, showed a decline of 0.3%, which was notable in that it represented the fifth straight monthly decline in this indicator. IP...

You may have heard that California is experiencing a historic drought -- the worst in at least 200 years by some measures. While this might seem like a problem isolated to California, the TIS Group observed that there are some implications that you may not have considered, and could have much broader impact.The state hydrological reserve is at only...

The big event this week has been the release of the April 29 Fed meeting minutes. The April statement acknowledged the rollover in Q1 earnings data which has since only worsened, with Wall Street estimates for Q1 GDP falling below -1%. The minutes were scoured for clues as to how confident the Fed is that the slowdown is merely temporary.Friday's...

The slowdown in retail sales growth has been a big surprise this spring, as lower gasoline pump prices were expected to boost spending. What's going on?Our new friends at TIS Group have a fascinating if scary answer: The credit cycle is breaking down as consumers sense that the economy is slipping a gear and don't want to over-leverage themselves.This...